i don't think we can continue to tax the american economy when we need economic growth but it's about prioritizing spending. i'm a fiscal conservative who believes foreign aid can be useful but we have to get spending under control. will you use your position to encourage the president to work with us in good faith to solve the debt -- the debt and deficit issue? >> i spent six months, i guess, or five month, as a member of the super committee and i put enormous amount of energy and hope that we would be able to get the big bargain, the grand deal. i'm not here to go through all the the tails why we didn't. but there was a very hard line, nonnegotiating position that prevented us from being able to come to an agroment which incidentally we just came to. but we came to it with far less on the table and far less accomplished than we would have had if we'd come to that agreement six months ago or a year ago. so my hope is, yes, i certainly will weigh in on that to the degree that it has an impact on my ability to do my job and the ability of the state department to do its job. we cannot